Chapter 104: Crazy Wizard Part 4

– Crack, crack

I could hear the crackling sound of firewood burning along with the delicious smell from the smoker I made myself. Crack, crack. I took out the bamboo mat with the beef, applied the final layer of sauce, sprinkled a thin layer of pepper, then put it back in the smoker and closed the lid.

"Phew, I could really go for a beer."

Beef jerky with a glass of beer, ah… there's nothing like it. But what I'm making now is "emergency food". I can't touch it now. Maybe I'll save some scraps to have with beer later.

While waiting for the jerky to be done, I started grinding the grains, seeds, and dried fruits I had pre-harvested and dried. Perhaps out of boredom, El voluntarily began to help.

"I love the food you make, Master."

"Considering that, you seem to enjoy inn food quite a lot."

"That's because all the inns you choose have amazing food!"

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding. Thanks for the compliment, El."

I poured maple syrup I harvested from a maple tree over the grains, seeds, and dried fruits El had ground up. The sweet smell of maple syrup, the savory smell of grains and seeds, and the sour smell of dried fruit all mixed together.

"But how did you learn to make things like this?"

I burst into laughter at El's question. It was only natural since mercenaries' usual staple food was dried beef jerky and bug-infested biscuits that made you think the bark of a tree was better.

"It's food I used to eat where I lived."

One meal a day, a simple energy bar! I stirred the ladle while reminiscing about the packaging of the energy bars I often ate for breakfast. Ah, how I miss the taste of manufactured goods, I miss it.

"When I was busy, it was hard to have a meal, so I ate this instead."

"I see…!"

"I made it while recalling those memories. It's much better than just biscuits."

Nutritionally, it was much better. You could get carbohydrates from the grains, fats from the seeds, sugars from the syrup, and vitamins from the fruits. Adding jerky provided protein and salt, making it almost a perfect diet.

Of course, this is also a benefit of choosing the druid class.

I could regularly obtain fresh grains, seeds, fruits, syrup, and the like. If I had been a warrior or a wizard, I would have had to settle for a relatively less nutritious diet.

Self-sufficiency was crucial, especially in a pseudo-medieval land like this.

I told El to keep an eye on the energy bars and jerky until they were ready, as I would return just in time. Then, I opened the [Dimensional Garden].

I intended to harvest Black Opium for Khalid and manage the garden.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I entered the Dimensional Garden.

I wondered if the fields were being well managed. The Dimensional Garden was a space maintained in optimal condition for any plant to grow. "Any plant" meant that weeds and wildflowers would also be thriving abundantly. Perhaps it might even resemble a forest now.

I pushed through the thick trees and tall grass. As expected, the weeds had grown enormously. Although the carefully tended Opium colony was safe, the surrounding area was overrun with reeds and weeds taller than my waist.

"Ugh, when am I going to clean all this up?"

There was already so much to do. Feeling overwhelmed, I paused and scratched my head. Other than doing the work myself, I couldn't think of a better way. The useless thought of wishing for a tractor crossed my mind…

"…. It can't be helped."

I sighed once and headed toward the center of the Dimensional Garden, where I had stored a few farming tools.

Thud!

After walking a few steps, I was startled and stepped back when I felt something soft, squishy, and spongy under my shoe. What was that! Did I accidentally kick a mouse or something? I quickly parted the grass. When I pushed all the grass aside…

"Huh?"

I saw a familiar "something."

No, calling it "something" might be rude.

"Pheww …?"

It seemed more accurate to say I saw familiar "friends". I picked up the disoriented Phew, whose eyes were spinning, and made eye contact with it.

"Why are you here…?"

I must have kicked it too hard. I held Phew until it regained its senses. Meanwhile, other Phews scattered throughout the grass began gathering at my feet.

"Whoa, wait, don't get too close."

I was terrified of stepping on them and squashing them! I carefully moved my steps to avoid them. As I approached the area around the World Tree, which was somewhat normal thanks to the flowers and grass already occupying the space, finally! I could finally see the creatures clearly. I gently placed the Phew I was holding on the ground and counted the Phews wandering around. One, two, three… seven, eight, nine, ten. There were ten in total.

"These guys, why are they here….?"

Then it dawned on me.

[You can summon special gardeners.]

That's right, I got this reward after completing the Moon Temple quest.

So that's why they were in the Dimensional Garden?

"Wait, if that's the case…!"

I looked back and forth between the overgrown garden and the Phews.

"With you all, this might be possible."

I grinned at the Phews. The ones that had been bouncing around happily began to tremble slightly when they saw my smile. Uh, did I grin like a tyrannical boss?

"Alright, Phews, gather around."

-Phew!

-Phewphew!

-Phewu!

At my command, the Phews, who had been scattered all over the place, started to gather in one spot. After lining them up roughly by size, I named them from the biggest one to the smallest: Phew One, Phew Two, Phew Three, Phew Four, Phew Five… all the way to Phew Ten. It might have been a bit random, but it was better than calling them all Phew. To distinguish them, I placed differently colored leaves on their heads and then I addressed them with my arms crossed.

"From now on, I will give you a mission."

-Phew?

-Phewww?

"It's not really a mission. It's simple and something you are best at."

-Phewing?

"Gardening."

-Phew.

"Yes, it's simple. But it's really important. Just like maintaining the Moon Temple."

Their little black eyes started to sparkle.

"Alright, Phew One. You will start weeding with Two, Three, and Four."

-Phewphweee!

"And Five, Six, and Seven will make furrows in the weeded areas."

-Pheww!

"And Eight, Nine, Ten. Your mission is also very important."

-Phewing?

"Even though you are relatively small compared to the others, don't be discouraged. Because there is a mission that is perfect for you."

-Phewphew…

"Black Opium is such a delicate plant that it loses all its leaves with a single touch. That's why I need the help of small creatures like you."

-Phew!

"I like your spirited response. Now, scatter. If there's anything you don't know, come to me immediately."

-Phewphwee!

Thus began the Phews' gardening. The energetic little ones dashed off and started diligently pulling out the weeds that had overgrown in the neglected Dimensional Garden. In the cleared soil, they made furrows for planting new plants, while the remaining Phews harvested the Black Opium. Meanwhile, I sorted the harvested Black Opium into high and low-quality products and gathered the seeds. Seeing a task that would have taken me a week completed in just a few hours left me in awe.

"Good, good… This amount of Black Opium is sufficient. Let's plant the seeds now."

I handed the Black Opium seeds to the smaller Phews. Then, I went to the field prepared by the others and examined the soil. With fertile earth evenly spread, anything could be planted and grown well.

In that case, let's plant the seeds I obtained this time.

Snow Blossom Tree, Ice Moss Tree, Snow Lotus, Silver Snow Plant, and Snow Field Pea. I would plant and cultivate these five polar plants and figure out their uses through direct testing.

I distributed seed pouches to the Phews one by one. The Phews carefully planted the seeds, covered them with soil, and then dropped round water droplets on top. The seeds began to sprout quickly, even though I hadn't used any skills.

What on earth are those water droplets?

I opened the old book and found a list of [Special Gardeners]. Since I hadn't spent much time with the Phews yet, there wasn't much helpful information. Just that they were special spirits created by Lynshaka and Nemeya together…?

"What!"

[Special gardeners can improve plants in various ways. Examples include a special moonflower that blooms only on the new moon, and cacti that bloom instead of growing thorns. And …]

They can improve plants!

The moment I read that sentence, it felt like lightning struck my mind. Until now, I could only use existing plants, but with the Phews, I could modify various plants as I wished. This meant I could create something as simple as a plant with potato roots and tomato stems, or something more complex…

I could create weapon-like plants that function as a type of soldier.

I hadn't tried it yet, so it might be a hasty judgment but it seemed quite possible.

Something simple I could do right now…

Improving the snow pea that shoots hard peas.

If I could enhance the pea's strength and adjust the speed and power with which it was shot…

It might be difficult to hit and destroy a target accurately, but it could certainly be used as a defensive measure to intimidate or prevent an approach.

Most monsters appearing in the Silver Mountains were undead. This meant that if I set the range correctly, there would be enough to knock them down with the blinding seeds.

"Phew one through ten, gather!!"

The possibilities for improvement were endless. I closed the old book and called the Phews together.

Plant modification, let's begin.